Death of outrage portends death of civil society: Letters to the editor

Sunday

Aug 5, 2018 at 2:01 AM

Our Erie community should be outraged!

Recently, a Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine pharmacy student was brutalized while on her way to work at Walgreens Pharmacy. The assailant violently slashed the scholar’s face. The crime is an appalling testament to the state of our society, and it is one that can (and must) be halted.

With a lengthy history of mental illness, the alleged assailant, Steveland Robinson, was known to police and mental health agencies — hospitalized numerous times; twice found incompetent to stand trial on previous criminal charges. Robinson was a vagrant — wandering streets, loitering in parking lots, and perching outside of businesses. Some will note his “civil liberty” to troll public spaces, but common sense dictates the dangerous ramifications of such imprudent policy.

Taxpaying citizens in civil society have the right (their own civil liberties) to walk safely — unsolicited and unaccosted. Vagrants (aggressive panhandlers) must be removed, relocated and rehabilitated. Rather than being encased in legislatively imposed limbo and entrenched as public fixtures, these individuals must be approached, assessed and adjudicated. A vagrancy (aggressive panhandling) law must be instituted! Other dangers cannot be ignored by courts, coddled by health systems or shielded by laws that fail them and endanger us.

Fellow Erieites: Speak out in unity in favor of a vagrancy law and support Erie City Councilman Bob Merski’s plan. Indeed, such laws used to exist effectively before lawyers and legislators were outgunned by aggressive activists undermining our civility. Erie will continue to languish until we voice our outrage — strongly, unyieldingly and with the understanding that a civil society cannot endure the death of outrage.

— Silvia M. Ferretti, Erie

Where does GOP party chief

Salmon stand on Trump?

An Erie Times-News article announced the re-election of Verel Salmon as chairman of the Erie County Republican Party and that he had published a book on the history of the local 145th Regiment in the Civil War.

Descendents of Union soldiers is justly proud. So I bought a copy of his 800-page e-book. It’s a great value for $4. It shows the enormous price in blood they paid to keep the Union and destroy slavery.

Early on he wrote: “The Civil War ... enabled us to begin to eliminate serious flaws in our national character.” By “backsliding” I mean moral retreat. Would he agree that the immediate post-war period was one of severe backsliding? Freed men stood on the verge of being granted ownership from confiscated slavers' land, 40 acres, and also citizenship. But very little of that land ended up in their hands. Also, President Andrew Johnson approved five new Southern state constitutions that did not grant blacks voting rights. Thus the flaw of slavery was transmuted into the flaws of Jim Crow, Black Codes, thousands of lynchings, and the structural racism of today.

I believe President Donald Trump’s endless insulting, racist and otherwise reactive behavior is having so severe an effect as to literally de-moralize millions of Americans. It authorizes backsliding not only on race, but on the treatment of women, marriage, reproductive choice, the environment and international relations. Do you, Verel Salmon, think Republicans need to speak out to higher party officials to take action to censure this behavior of President Trump?

— Robert Cogan, Edinboro

Nation founded primarily

on Judeo-Christian values

In response to the July 29 letter with the heading “Equating patriotism with belief in God is absurd,” I respect Az Simons, the writer, for his point of view. However, I disagree with his statement that "The U.S. was founded on secular values and there is plenty of evidence backing that up."

I believe our country was primarily founded on Judeo-Christian values, principles and morals. Evidence of this can be found in the book titled, “The Christian Life and Character of the Civil Institutions of the United States," written by Benjamin F. Morris. This book was initially published in 1864.

This book, which is 1,060 pages long, has sufficient examples that support the fact that our country was primarily founded on Judeo-Christian values, principles and morals. I recommend for anyone who is truly interested in how our country was formed to read this book.

— Wayne L. Edmondson, Franklin

Trooper earns praise for

reining in exuberant teens

To the Pennsylvania state trooper who pulled over my granddaughter and her boyfriend on June 1 on Interstate 79, thank you for doing your job!

It was the last day of senior year and everyone was carefree and celebrating. The ticket and fine for speeding slowed down everything, prevented a serious accident and kept our young people safe.

They are both good kids, but sometimes need reminding that they are not indestructible. I am so grateful because this story could have ended so much differently, and I have to thank you for that.

— C. Merrill, Erie

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